from Sky News:
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1085095,00.html
The largest battle of the ground war in Iraq has broken out just south of Baghdad, reports say.
Up to 300 Iraqi troops have died in fierce fighting around the cities of Najaf and Karbala without the loss of a single Allied troop, according to the Pentagon.
The battle began when Iraqi troops launched a huge night time attack on the US Seventh Cavalry, possibly trying to take advantage of poor visibility due to severe sandstorms in the area.
The casualty figure, if confirmed, would be the largest reported Iraqi loss of life in a single engagement in the six days of war.
A Penatgon offical said: "Apparently ground forces tried to hit some of our guys with rocket propelled grenades.
"They did damage a couple of pieces of our gear but we've had no reports of casualties on our side.
"But apparently there are some reports that we may have killed quite a few of them. Estimates differ. Some say 200-300. Some say 150."
It is not known whether the Iraqi troops involved in the battle were regular army units that had moved down to that area to fight Allied troops, members of President Saddam Hussein's irregular Fedayeen paramilitaries, or loyalists of Saddam's Ba'ath Party.